Remote sensing data for groundwater development in drought prone areas of South Africa

This study is focusing on optimising and integrating remote sensing data in the groundwater development strategies of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) in South Africa. Lineaments have been mapped on satellite remote sensing data, including Landsat TM, SPOT, and Radarsat imagery. The lineaments, classed by hydrogeological significance, are integrated with existing maps, groundwater information and other data in a GIS environment, Differential GPS techniques are used to increase the borehole database accuracy, rectify images, and assess the spatial accuracy of the database. The ultimate aim of the project is to develop a GIS based decision support system to improve the efficiency in borehole siting, primarily for rural water supply.